


The Therapeutic Use Of Pretty Girls In the Treatment Of Aquaphobia

by Flexor



Category: RWBY
Genre: Comfort, Cuddling, Phobias
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 23:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10450158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flexor/pseuds/Flexor
Summary: The whole gang is running to Menagerie to Blake and Sun's help. Sadly, Winter doesn't want to fly her cruiser into Menagerie guns blazing for Political Reasons. So the last leg of the journey has to be by... boat. You can imagine how much Neptune likes that, but he sucks it up, boards with the rest, and ends up in a little ball of misery in his bunk. Weiss is also not a big fan of boats because of the tendency of her dinner to end up in the sea. They end up huddling together for warmth. Surely, a match made in a watery hell.Fun fact: If you google "Turkey Baster", the first thing that comes up is a method of artificial insemination. It's almost like they knew what I was looking for!





	

Neptune Vasilias did not like water. Not in any quantity greater than a bottle. He didn't even like baths, showers all the way for him. Neptune was on a boat right now, all by himself in a cabin that he had shared with his teammate Sage until his whimpers of fear drove Sage to seek refuge with Scarlett . The only reason the airship captain had not wanted to take them all the way to Menagerie was that for an Atlesian battle cruiser to thunder into a political powder keg, engines blazing, without asking first, would cause a so-called "international incident". They had told him that this was just a one-night, one day trip. They had told him this boat and her crew had been plowing these waves for years and years. They had told him there was no reason to be afraid.

Neptune could have told them that this was a _phobia_. He could have told them that it was not a reasonable fear, because that's what a Dust sucking phobia _is_. He could have told them that there was no way to reason yourself out of a place that you hadn't reasoned your way into. Instead, he'd told them to get lost and leave him alone, which they had. So he was now in his cabin, curled up on one end of his bunk, blanket wrapped round him, eyes closed, quietly whimpering to himself.

There was a quiet knock on his door.

"Neptune?"

He frowned, recognising the voice of the last person he'd expect to come bothering him. Weiss "Ice Queen" Schnee. Neptune considered simply not answering, but then she might think something had happened to him and break down the door.

"It's open," he said, after a deep breath or two.

Weiss came in and sat down on the other end of the bed.

"Hi," she said. "I hope you don't mind me coming here. I just can't take the company out on the deck right now, so I thought I'd look up the one person who hates boats more than I do."

"Yeah?"

"I always get seasick," said Weiss.

Neptune reached above him into Sage's bunk and pulled down a blanket, which he wordlessly handed to Weiss. She wrapped it round her, pulled up her feet.

"They say you have to stay on deck and look at the horizon. I tried it. It doesn't help."

"As long as you dont puke on my bed," said Neptune.

"I don't think I will. I just feel a little nauseous." Weiss closed her eyes, leaned against the wall. Bulkhead. Whatever the proper nautical term was. "I've taken twice the recommended dose of seasick pills. I am not allowed to operate heavy machinery. Or drink alcohol. What else _is_ there to do on a ship?"

In spite of everything, Neptune smiled. "Things we both only want to do with girls."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I _try_ to be discreet about who I want in my bed. Do I have it written on my forehead?"

"Scarlett told me," said Neptune. "He's never wrong about those things. Your secret's safe with me. And Scarlett. Oh, and Sun."

" _And_ Blake. Yang. Probably Ruby as well... Gods." She looked miles away. "At least the first mate is trying to seduce Yang, not me."

"Yang? She's not into girls, is she?"

"Not normally, no. As long as that girl doesn't learn the Magic Words, Yang is safe."

"Magic words? What are those?"

Weiss leaned her head back. " _What's the matter Xiao-Long? Afraid you might like it?_ I swear, that girl will do _anything_ on a dare."

"That won't..." Neptune started, but then the ship went over a big wave, and crashed down back into the water. Neptune screwed his eyes shut and waited for his muscles to unclench. He looked up, to see Weiss' steel blue eyes on him.

"Sorry," he said. "It's just..."

Weiss looked away for a moment or two, as if she was having a discussion with herself. Then, much to Neptune's surprise, she quietly moved across the bed and lay down next to him, one arm round his waist, head on his shoulder.

"Uhh... Hello?"

Weiss smiled at him. "Hold on to me if you want. It's a thing I picked up from Ruby and Yang. Apparently human warmth helps."

It certainly did, but Weiss Schnee was not known for having lots of warmth to spare. In fact, she was known for being cold as ice. Not that Neptune was complaining, mind. Weiss Schnee was well worth looking at. Her hair was very fine, long, and snowy white. Her face was delicate, its only flaw an old cut across her eye that had left a faint scar. It added to the mystery.

Neptune picked up her ponytail and let the long smooth white hair slip through his fingers, then quickly dropped it, realising what he was doing. Weiss' fingers moved on his stomach as she looked up. Her eyes shone at him.

"I will accept some light to medium petting," she said, with a hint of a laugh in her voice. "But don't expect any intercourse."

"Hands away from the naughty bits, got it," said Neptune. "What would be Milady's attitude towards osculation?"

Neptune watched Weiss do the little double take all girls did when they found out he actually did know big words. He just didn't use them all that often. Didn't go with the cool bad boy image. Her smile was like sunshine over a field of snow.

"Milady's attitude towards osculation would be one of cautious acceptance, if done in good taste."

"No tongue, got it."

Osculation occurred. Just what had gotten into Weiss to be kissing a boy all of a sudden was an interesting question for tomorrow. They ended up with Weiss held close in Neptune's arms, her face buried in his neck.

"Tell me your taste in women," Weiss murmured. "And I'll tell you mine."

Neptune thought about it. Shiny white hair a must? Slender? He could usually see the beauty in any girl that wasn't positively hideous. It wasn't like he could afford to be picky. Weiss prodded him on.

"Come on. If you could have any girl in the world, who would it be?"

"The captain of the airship was pretty hot," said Neptune. "Didn't ask her name, though."

"Oh I can tell you that." Weiss turned her eyes up to him. "Her name is Winter."

"Winter," said Neptune. "Nice name."

"Winter Schnee," said Weiss.

Neptune stared. "Oh no... Did I just tell you your mom is hot?"

Weiss burst out laughing. "She's my _sister_! But I am definitely going to tell her people think she's my mother."

Neptune bowed his head. "Oh gods, I'm dead."

"Don't despair. _She_ thinks she's my mother sometimes." Weiss giggled. "I can get you her number for when the CCTS comes back. Don't get your hopes up, though. She's got feelings for Qrow Branwen."

"Qrow... Oh, Ruby's uncle?"

"Yang's uncle, to be precise. Qrow is Yang's mother's brother."

"Oh. She's got the hots for _him_?"

"Hates his guts," said Weiss. "She can give you a list of everything that's wrong with him as long as my arm." She put her head back down on Neptune's shoulder. "And one day, I am sure that list will include wimping out on her after just five or six times."

"She's the one most like you," said Neptune. "Just my luck you don't swing my way."

"I do want to have an heir of my own at some point," said Weiss. "So I'll have to swing that way at least once."

"There's ways around that, surely?"

Weiss wrinkled her nose. "When my little daughter Snowdrop asks who her daddy is, I don't want to give her a photo of a turkey baster."

"She'll have two mummies. So what's your taste in women?"

Weiss lay back, staring up at the top bunk with a wistful sad look in her eyes.

"Tall. Strong. Intelligent. Sophisticated." She sighed. "Brave."

Neptune raised himself on his elbow. He studied Weiss' face carefully.

"Pyrrha Nikos."

Weiss' eyes turned to him. She smiled sadly. Nodded once.

"I wanted to be on her team so badly, the first time I saw her in person. People still think it was because of her reputation." She grinned. "Which is _partly_ true. But she clearly had her eyes on Jaune. Who had his eyes on me, actually. Not anymore, though."

"Poor guy's in love with a ghost," said Neptune. "Gods give me the strength to just _ask_ a girl when I like her. Life's too short for waiting, especially for a Huntsman. All she can do is say no. Don't worry, I won't ask you."

Weiss reached up and touched Neptune's face. "Why, I'll never know, but you are the one boy I've met who doesn't make me want to run away screaming at the thought. For what it's worth."

Neptune stopped moving for a moment. Then, he shook his head. "I'd want to be on dry land. You want to be not doped up to your eyeballs on seasick pills."

"I don't have much to offer you, to be honest. I don't want to run the risk of producing heirs just yet. Don't even _think_ about, um, the _other_ side, and as for going South..." Weiss bit her lip, looking up at Neptune. "Which leaves stuff you could do better yourself."

Neptune laughed. "I get you. I'm not going down on a dude myself. Don't mind girls, though."

Weiss wriggled a bit, pulled up the blanket over her shoulder. "This is nice, though. I never appreciated cuddling much before I joined Team RWBY. Blake's a bit less tactile, but Yang and Ruby's arms are always open." Weiss frowned. "Oh."

"Yang could hug you to death with that metal arm. Good to see she's okay now."

"Combat ready, absolutely. Okay is a different matter." Weiss held on a bit tighter. "She's changed. She is harder. Less... nice."

"Losing a fight will do that to you," said Neptune.

"I used to hate that air-headed levity of hers," said Weiss. "Now, I miss it."

"We've all changed," said Neptune. Team SSSN had come through the whole Battle of Beacon without a scratch, but school mates of his had not been so lucky. Yang was not the only one to be... hurt. Pyrrha Nikos had not been the only casualty. Big things were moving. He looked at his trident. He'd put it up against the wall in the corner, but it had fallen over with the movement of the boat. He hadn't gone to pick it up. It hardly seemed like a big enough tool for setting the world to rights, but it was all he had. 

Weiss sighed, made herself a bit more comfortable. She wrapped her arm round his waist, closed her eyes. Neptune stroked her hair, playing with her long ponytail, which made her smile. As he watched, her face relaxed. The tension left it, of... well... being Weiss Schnee, proud bearer of the name, until recently the heir to the Schnee Empire. Her breath became slow and regular.

Neptune looked at Weiss' sleeping face. Allright then. Just before, he was alone in his bunk, rigid with fear. Now, he was in his bunk with arguably the most beautiful girl on this Dust-sucking tub in his arms. Which was better. A lot better. The boat went over another big wave, crashed into the water. Neptune winced, trying to keep himself steady so as not to wake up Weiss.

Her hand moved up, gently stroked his cheek. Oh.

"It's okay," she whispered. "You're going to be okay."

If she put it like that, he could almost believe it. 


End file.
